Community

Community Partners

We believe that supporting other community programs and organizations is
a vital component in serving the health care needs of the San Fernando
Valley. For many years, we have worked with these organizations to identify
specific needs and vulnerabilities in our service area, and partnered
with them to address these gaps. It is through our combined efforts that
we are able to reach more people who otherwise may not have access to
healthcare or are vulnerable in other ways. The following are some of
the programs we have supported:

Access to Care

Access to primary care provides individuals with preventive measures and
disease management, reducing the likelihood of hospitalizations and emergency
room admissions. Yet, in our service area, 21% of the population is uninsured
while another 25.7% receive Medi-Cal. These people and others are not
receiving the primary care they need because too few providers service
low-income individuals and the newly insured population. This is further
compounded by their unfamiliarity with the health care system.

Response to need and community impact:

In 2017, our annual
Valley Presbyterian Hospital Health Fair reached over 1,100 people in the community with health education materials
and 1,653 free preventive screenings, 319 flu shots, and health education
activities for over 200 children. In addition, to promote healthy eating,
we distributed over 320 pounds of a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables
for participants to take home with them. In an on-site survey, 33% of
adult participants indicated they would not have received screenings elsewhere
because they did not have a doctor, health insurance, and/or transportation.

Through a grant from
First 5 LA, Valley Presbyterian Hospital has continued its free and voluntary Welcome
Baby program, in support of new mothers and their infants. As a part of
this program, we teamed with the nonprofit organization
El Nido Family Centers, to provide home-based services to Welcome Baby participants.

Diabetes and Obesity

In our service area, 36.4% of adults are overweight and 21.6% are obese,
conditions associated with life-threatening illnesses such as diabetes,
heart disease and stroke. Common causes for weight gain and obesity are
a lack of physical activity and poor diet. The affordability of fast food
makes it easier to purchase high-caloric and fatty foods, and residents
acknowledge there is a high concentration of fast food restaurants in
the area. 17.3% of adults also report they do not have “leisure
time" in which to exercise.

Response to need and community impact:

We partnered with
Mid Valley Family YMCA for their PE Play Program at Van Nuys Elementary School, designed to make
physical activity fun and accessible, reduce the risk of childhood obesity,
and promote healthier life choices as they grow into adulthood. The YMCA
also held quarterly Healthy Family Nights, which provided kids and their
parents with exercise and health initiatives in a safe environment. Of
the 615 elementary school-age children who participated, 90% indicated
they learned new activities, became more physically active, and increased
their physical strength and conditioning.

We also teamed up with
Meet Each Need with Dignity (MEND) for their diabetes health education and weight management programs. MEND's
diabetes program worked with 32 people to improve their dietary and exercise
habits, with 25% lowering their HbA1c levels. Participants in the weight
management program reduced their average Body Mass Index (BMI) by 1.4
points. In addition, the MEND food pantry provided healthy cooking demonstrations,
nutrition information, and healthy food samplings. Our partnership with
MEND also supported the Grow Together Project, a home garden effort that
taught 23 families to garden and use their healthy harvest. Overall, the
MEND diabetes and overweight prevention programs provided direct services
to 357 people.

Mental Health services

When individuals have a positive state of wellbeing, they are more readily
able to deal with the stresses of life, be productive, and have a confident
sense of self. Strong social networks and support systems have been identified
as contributing to positive mental health, while poverty and low education
levels play a role in poor mental health. In some cases, individuals use
drugs and alcohol to cope with mental health issues instead of seeking
help, or poor access affects their ability to receive one-time and ongoing
services. Yet, 8.6% of adults (18 years and older) in our area are thought
to need mental health services. Mental health care should be a priority
but there are too few providers serving low-income individuals who are
uninsured or on Medi-Cal.

Response to need and community impact:

In FY 2017,
Valley Presbyterian Hospital increased access to mental health services through its tele-psych services,
providing 899 consultations to 583 patients, and decreasing the amount
of time needed to evaluate a patient with possible mental health symptoms.
In addition, while our hospital does not have dedicated inpatient mental
health care beds, we financially supported inpatient mental health care
for vulnerable, low-income patients who needed mental health hospitalization.
This care was provided to 194 patients who were treated in the Emergency
Department and then transported to a medically necessary, inpatient mental
healthcare bed.

We also partnered with
El Nido Family Services to provide 62 pregnant and parenting teens with mental health services.
These at-risk youth were provided with one-on-one counseling, group counseling
and educational workshops. A focus on mother-child interaction promoted
positive, intentional parenting practices.